2014 was hottest year on record

Last year was globally the hottest on record, climate experts have confirmed.

Global temperatures were 0.69C (1.24F) above 20th century averages, making 2014 the warmest year in records dating back to 1880, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said.

Areas around the world experienced record temperatures, including most of Europe stretching into northern Africa, parts of eastern and western coastal Australia, and the western United States, the experts from NOAA’s National Climatic Data Centre said.

The Met Office has already announced that 2014 was the hottest year for the UK in records dating back to 1910, and was also the warmest in the Central England Temperature series, the longest-running temperature record in the world dating back to 1659.